Composite spinning rings



April 19, 1950 H. B. ATWOOD 2,932,937

COMPOSITE SPINNING RINGS Filed March 14, 1958 INVENTOR.

United htates COMPOSITE srnvnmo unvos Hyatt B. Atwood, Buffalo, N.Y., assignor to Herr Manufacturing Company, Inc, Buffalo, NY.

This invention relates to the art of spinning yarns and particularly to the lubrication of rings used on yarn spinning or twisting machines.

The correct lubrication of spinning rings is very important for the reason that the life of the travelers and of the rings depends upon the correct lubrication, and furthermore improper lubrication has adverse effects on the yarn. Insufiicient lubrication interferes with the smooth running of the traveller of the rings which in turn results in imperfections of the yarns, and excess lubrication results in contamination of the yarn with the lubricant. For the purpose of improving lubrication of spinning rings, attempts have been made heretofore to make spinning rings of powdered metal compressed and sintered to form rings of this type, this material being used for the reason that it is porous so that it feeds lubricant gradually to the portions of the ring which are contacted by the traveler. It has been found however that such rings do not have satisfactory wear resistance, with the result that the useful life of these rings is not very long, due to the fact that it has been found impossible to harden rings made by powdered metallurgy to the same extent as solid steel rings of the type heretofore used.

It is consequently an object of this invention to produee spinning rings made partly of a powdered and sintered metal and partly of a high grade steel of the kind Which has been found highly satisfactory and wear resistant in spinning rings, so that the steel portion of the spinning ring may be supplied with lubricant from the porous powdered and sintered metal portion of the ring, to produce a composite ring which is highly satisfactory in operation and service.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown a central, sectional elevation of a composite ring embodying my invention.

My improved ring may be mounted on any suitable or usual type of support, that shown in the drawing being a ring holder having an inwardly extending, annular portion 6 which is formed to receive the ring. The ring holder is also provided with one or more lubricant wells or reservoirs 7.

My improved composite ring is formed of two pieces or parts 8 and 9 which may be of any usual or suitable shape formed to cooperate with a traveller iii. The part 8 is preferably made of a metal which has been found to be highly suitable for use in rings of this type, such for example, as a drop forged, fine grained carbonized steel which is well known in the textile field as having excellent wear resistance when properly lubricated and producing smooth operation of the travelers cooperating therewith. Metals or alloys of other composition of course can be used. This ring part 8 has an outer periphery formed to fit into the annular portion 6 of the ring holder 5 and an inner periphery which forms the major portion of the bearing surface of the traveler. For this purpose the lower part 8 of the ring is provided with a bearing surface 12 formed to cooperate with the lower portion of the traveler 10, and this bearing surface 12 7 atent in the seat of the lower part ill) terminates at its lower edge in a rounded portion 14 against which the lower, outwardly extending arm of the traveller bears. 15 represents the thread which passes through the upper portion of the traveler and which, after passing through the traveler, has an inwardly extending portion 15, which is wound on a bobbin. The thread consequently exerts a generally upwardly directed force on the traveller, and since the traveller moves at high speed along the inner surface of the spinning ring, centrifugal force will urge the traveller approximately into the position shown in the drawing, so that the lower portion of the traveller will bear against the surface 12 of the lower part of the spinning ring and the upward pull of the thread will urge the traveller upwardly so that the lower leg of the same will bear upwardly against the lower face lid of the ring. It will be obvious therefore that the greater part of the force acting on the traveler, because of centrifugal force and the pull of the thread, acts on the surfaces 12 and 14- of the lower part of the ring.

The lower part 8 of the ring is also provided on the upper surface thereof with a seat for the upper porous metal part 9 of the ring, this seat in the construction shown being of rabbet shape comprising an upright wall 16 intersecting an inwardly extending Wall 17. The upper part 9 of the composite ring is formed to fit snugly of the ring and against the annular walls 16 and 17. The upper part of the ring has a bearing surface 20 which forms an extension of the upright bearing surface 12 of the lower ring part. Consequently the traveller 10 contacts with a portion of the bearing surface 20 immediately above the lower ring part 8 and receives lubricant from the upper ring part, which then flows by gravity along the surfaces 12 and 14 of the lower ring part. Due to the rapid spinning of the traveller it) about the inner surface of the .spinning ring, the rear edge of the traveller will produce a suction on the portion of the upper ring part with which it contacts, this suction serving to draw lubricant from the pores of the upper ring part so as to ensure an adequate supply of lubricant which will pass by gravity and centrifugal force from the traveler to the surfaces 12 and 14 of the lower ring part.

Lubricant may be supplied from the reservoir 7 to the upper ring part 9 in any suitable or desired manner. By way of example, I have shown a wick 24, one end of which extends into the reservoir '7 of the ring rail. This ring holder is provided with an upwardly inclined aperture 25 through which the wick extends, and this aperture is in alinement with another aperture 26 formed in the lower ring part 8. The upper end of the wick terminates in the shouldered seat of the lower ring part so as to transmit lubricant by capillary action from the reservoir '7 to the upper ring part 9 when the same is in its seat. Preferably the portion of the upper ring part which is pressed into the seat formed by the walls 16 and 17 of the lower ring part is provided with a portion or groove 3% which is spaced from the upper ring part. In the construction shown for this purpose, this spaced portion 36 is formed by bevelling the outer, lower edge of the ring part, thus forming a small annular passage in the seat through which lubricant may pass from the wick and creep or flow completely around the lower rear portion of the upper ring part. From this groove or passage the lubricant will be drawn by capillary action to the outer surface of the porous metal upper part 9 of the ring.

In the operation of the ring described it will be obvious that the traveller it bears mainly against the surfaces 12 and 1d of the lower ring part, and since this part is made of a solid or impervious metal which has been found highly satisfactory in wear resistance when used 7 of the upper ring part 9 will be subjected to very little wear. While the powdered and sintered metal of which the upper ring part is formed has materially less wear resistance than the lower ring part, it will be noted that there will be very little Wear by the traveler against the upper ring part since the traveler will be held by the upright bearing surface 12 against pressing against the bearing portion 2% of the upper ring part. If any slight wearing of this portion 2% of the upper ring part should result, then further Wear will be immediately prevented by the upright bearing surface 12 of the lower ring part.

As a result of this construction it will be obvious that my improved ring has all of the advantages of a solid steel ring of the composition heretofore found most satisfactory for this purpose, and it also has the advantage of proper controlled lubrication of the lower ring part by means of the porous, lubricant transmitting nature of the powdered metal upper part 9 of the ring. The proper lubrication of the ring is thus assured which ensures a long and satisfactory life of the ring which in turn increases the life of travelers used in connection with the same, even when running at maximum spindle speeds.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials and arrangements of parts, which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art, within the principle and scope of the invention, as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A spinning ring for cooperation with a traveler and formed of two annular parts, one of said parts being made of a metal of high resistance to wear by the traveler and having on its inner face a substantially upright bearing surface for a traveler and having an annular seat formed in and extending downwardly from the upper surface of said part and including a horizontal wall below said upper surface and an upright wall terminating at said upper surface, the other part of said ring being made of a powdered and sintered porous metal capable of transmitting a lubricant by capillary action, said other part of saidring being of a shape to be pressed downwardly into said seat of said first part of said ring and having a portion thereof extending above said first part of said ring and having an inner traveler contacting face substantially flush with and constituting an extension of said bearing surface of said first ring part, and means for supplying lubricant to said second ring part at a portion thereof remote from said traveler contacting surface,

said powdered and sintered metal supplying lubricant capillary action to said bearing surface of said upper ring part.

2. A spinning ring according to claim 1 in which the outer lower portion or" said ring part is bevelled toform 25 with said seat a groove to which lubricant is supplied.

References titted in the file of this patent 

